Southern Illinois community without squad cars after crashes

INA, Ill. (AP) — A small southern Illinois community is without any police cars after separate accidents heavily damaged the department's only two squad cars.

The police chief in the village of Ina says the first car was damaged last week when it was hit by an ambulance. The second car was wrecked on Tuesday when it was hit by a semi-truck on a snowy highway.

No one was injured in either collision.

Police Chief Travis Allen tells WSIL-TV that "when it rains, it pours." He's working with insurance companies and other communities to borrow a squad car to help patrol the village of about 2,300 residents that's 30 miles north of Carbondale.

In the meantime, Illinois State Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office are volunteering to help patrol in Ina.